Mar. 13, 2013

A crowd gathers in front of City Hall in Flint in May last year to listen to speakers opposed to Michigan's Emergency Manager Law. Flint has been under state financial control since 2011. / Ryan Garza/Associated Press

Written by

Dayne Walling

Detroit Free Press guest writer

Dayne Walling / David N. Goodman/Associated Press

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Michigan's success in the 21st Century is impossible without strong cities. I was born in Flint in 1974, and as long as I can remember my hometown and cities across the state have been fighting fires instead of investing in the future.

Now, at a time when local government revenues are at historic lows, we are trying to pay the price compounded with interest. While the state general fund has come back above the past 10 years' average, Flint is working with less than 75% of prerecession revenues. Flint's experience is more extreme than many, but all local governments in our state are doing more with less, according to a recent survey from the University of Michigan.

I first ran for mayor because I believed that a better-managed city government with fresh ideas and new energy could be a catalyst for change. After nearly four years in office and more than a year with a state appointed manager, I see clearly that it will take an unprecedented level of cooperation from the public, private and community sectors to get the job done here in Flint -- and the same is certainly true for Detroit.

There have been drastic changes in Flint under the appointed managers. City personnel lost more than 20% of their compensation. New hires will be on their own for retirement health care. Fees and assessments were increased by double-digit percentages. Services were reduced except police and fire protection. The deficit doubled in the budget year of the appointment. Those who support this approach need to understand that appointed managers are not magicians.

Balancing a budget by cutting and austerity is easy. Creating a strong city through reconstruction is more complex. It's time now for us all to look in the mirror and ask what needs changing to make our cities strong.

• Local elected officials must come to the table with respect for the laws, concern for their citizens and the necessary skills.

• The voting and taxpaying public has to realize that services were consumed in the past without being fully paid for, and it is now time to cover the bill for playing that shell game.

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• The state needs to acknowledge that over the past 10 years, local governments have become leaner and eliminated frills.

Addressing the issues facing our cities will take reforms in state laws and policies that have disadvantaged core cities.

Here is one example. Area residents should not be given a local income tax break by choosing to locate just outside the city limits and thereby avoid paying the legacy costs embedded in city operations and the higher resident income tax, while still accessing core amenities such as universities and medical centers and taking advantage of better funded suburban services and schools.

Flint's progress, like that of many other cities across Michigan, will require a new paradigm for the relationship with the state that provides support for city growth. We need new local revenue options to meet service demands, accountability for long-range local and regional planning, incentives for developing efficient and dense neighborhoods, support for innovative infrastructure initiatives, and a transparent data system on metropolitan spending and investment that serves as a common platform to rebuild trust with the public.

With everything that has occurred in Flint, the greatest lesson I have learned is that Flint's problems are not able to be solved in a comprehensive manner by any one person or entity. And in terms of emergency management, I see an end in sight for Flint. The city's first comprehensive master plan since 1960 is on track to be adopted later this year. I'm recommending that the City of Flint move out from under emergency management and move on to its future.